Maherali brothers, Riyaan (8 years old) and Qayl (12 years old) went to Jubilee Games in Dubai with a mission – to connect with the global Jamat and get to know their brothers and sisters from around the Ismaili world. They met athletes, family, friends, volunteers and spectators from several countries. New friendships were made and old friendships were strengthened.

Their experience has been transformational and they share one of their profound memories here.

The Jubilee Games experience has been so enriching that Riyaan writes about it in his school project highlighting his hero Adnan and FC Barcelona soccer camp.

Also watch the YouTube videos below with the first one having Qayl joined by Riyaan as he interviews Adnan on why he is in Dubai and what message he has for the world Jamat.

The second shorter video is how Adnan’s teammates made Riyaan feel part of their team.

Tell us about your Jubilee Games experience … share your inspiring moments from the Jubilee Games in Dubai. Send your stories to ismailimail@gmail.com

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These restored gardens are the first chahar-bagh, or four-part paradise garden to surround a Mughal tomb on the sub-continent. Built nearly a century before the Taj Mahal, the Tomb and its gardens were an expression of the love and respect borne towards the Emperor Humayun by his son, Akbar and widow, Haji Begum. The chahar-bagh was more than a pleasure garden. In the discipline and order of its landscaped geometry, its octagonal or rectangular pools, its selection of favourite plants and trees, it was an attempt to create transcendent perfection – a glimpse of paradise on earth.

The hues and scents of these gardens, the varied sources of the design elements and of the chosen construction materials, make this monument an important reminder of the power and elegance of diversity, while the sentiments that moved its patrons, united them in a shared virtue.

— Excerpt: His Highness the Aga Khan at the ceremony to inaugurate the restored Humayun’s Tomb gardens. New Delhi, India. 15 April 2003 https://the.ismaili/speeches